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Dominion Power is holding an open house next week with representatives on hand to answer questions and talk about route alternatives being considered for a new 230kV transmission line to serve the Dahlgren base and King George.

Ten miles of right-of-way between 120-200 feet in width will be needed, depending on which type of tower facility is selected to carry the overhead lines. The tower facility types being considered range from 67 feet to 120 feet high.

OPEN HOUSE
Next Wednesday, Aug. 10, the electric company will hold an open house at the Citizens Center on Route 3 (8076 Kings Hwy) from 4–7 p.m.

The public is invited to stop by any time during that timeframe. Dominion Power reps will be on hand to answer questions regarding the project, with displays and maps set up.

At that time, Dominion Power will unveil the route alternatives under consideration for construction of the transmission line.

Those with concerns about the project will be able to express them for the record to a court reporter available for that purpose.

The new transmission line is intended to boost power to the Naval Support Facility at Dahlgren and provide additional power benefits to the county.

This will be only the second transmission line that large to be constructed in the county. The existing 230kV transmission line has been in place for decades and roughly parallels Route 3 to the north of it.

MORE POWER NEEDED
The Dahlgren base is currently fed by two distribution circuits with distribution lines from substations at Arnolds Corner and at Oak Grove. The Naval base’s requirement for increased power is getting to the point where it can no longer be served by the distribution level circuits.

The project to construct the transmission line was announced in May and a presentation was made to the Board of Supervisors at that time by Dominion’s David Pelkey, a project manager for the power company’s electric transmission and delivery.

In addition to the increasing power needs at the base, the new power line is expected to provide additional electrical capacity to serve the county’s high growth area in Dahlgren and support continued growth and economic development.

A Walmart is opening next month with additional retail slated to follow, along with a new University of Mary Washington campus planned to open early next year, and another subdivision in the planning stage.

10-MILE TRANSMISSION LINE
Dominion Power’s plan is to tap into the existing 230kV line that runs to the north of Route 3. That means a new 10-mile transmission line will be constructed from somewhere along the existing line to the base along the new right-of-way to be acquired.

The new line will connect to a Dahlgren substation to be constructed on the base near B-Gate on Dahlgren Naval property. That substation is planned to serve both the base and the community.

Dominion will come up with five or six potential routes and then narrow those down to one preferred route later this summer.

Once that potential route is selected, affected landowners will be notified prior to the company filing an application with the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) this fall. The SCC application process is expected to take about a year or longer.

Public hearings by the SCC would be expected to be held in both King George and Richmond prior to approval being granted.

Following SCC approval anticipated sometime in late 2012, Dominion Power would work with affected property owners to acquire right-of-way, with clearing and construction slated to begin in spring 2013, with project completion anticipated in spring 2014.

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MIS/GRAPHICSDrue Murray540-709-7288This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.